Machine Heart
by Kate719
Summary: Dr. Elsa Arendelle works for Hanscorp, the world's leading manufacturer of androids. Here she meets Anna, the first android created with the capacity to truly feel human emotion. It is said that machines are incapable of love, but Elsa isn't sure that is the case with Anna. (Elsanna AU).
1. Prologue

**A/N: **I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now so I thought I'd just go for it. Hope you all like it! Let me know what you think :). And on a side note, The Last of Us DLC comes out tomorrow/today! (I have no idea what day it is for you guys). Who's buzzin'?! X

* * *

**Prologue:**

"Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviours, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited" – Margaret Mead

* * *

There were only three rules regarding androids:

1) No android shall ever harm a human being, not even in self defence of their master _or_ themselves.

2) An android must obey _all _commands given to them by their master, unless it conflicts with the first rule.

3) No android shall ever be built with the capacity to _feel _human emotion. Simulation of emotion is acceptable.

These rules were the pillars of Hanscorp's foundation. But like all rules they were meant to be broken, even if they were broken by those who first created them.

* * *

Hanscorp is the world's leading manufacturer of robots, androids if you will. Twenty years ago it changed the face of the earth. The corporation first produced simple robots that were able to carry out basic tasks. For example, one would have been programmed to cook certain meals. The first models were only in the homes of the rich and famous. A couple of years later, the company expanded, much more time and resources were put into the creation of more efficient and lifelike robots. They have become so humanised that they are now referred to as androids. Most of the human population owns the latest model available, the HM-0819 series. This particular android is an exact replica of a human. Synthetic skin covers its metal chassis as well as specially produced synthetic fibre for hair. They look almost human, apart from their unnatural silver eyes. These androids are also recognised as machines by the branded company logo and series number on the back of their necks and their individual barcodes on their wrists. What is most exceptional is that they are able to simulate human emotion. The success of these androids is unparalleled. But Hans Orvik, founder and CEO of Hanscorp was still not satisfied. The ability to _simulate_ human emotion was not good enough. He wanted to create an android that could _feel_. An android that would be a better human than any human could ever be. Thus Anna was created.

* * *

Dr Arendelle was a peculiar young woman to say the least. She was beautiful, smart – at 22 years of age she had completed her doctorate in the psychology of human behaviour. Her unprecedented intelligence allowed her to skip a few years of high school and college, and now here she was one year later, working for Hanscorp.

But Elsa's extraordinary intelligence was not what made her peculiar, no, it was the fact that she couldn't stand working with androids. Strange really, for someone part of a world where owning and working alongside them was the norm. The young doctor's contempt for them stemmed from a memory she had tried very hard to repress.

Six years ago, a very tragic incident occurred – one that went on to tarnish Elsa's views of androids forever. She was just a teenager then, one that was prone to mood swings just like any other sixteen year old. Her parents had insisted that they spent some quality family time together. They were on their way to a fancy restaurant that they had often frequented when Elsa was younger. Distinctly the blonde woman remembers with shame how rude she had been to her parents, how she had sat in the back of the limo, ignoring any attempts of conversation they made. The teenager wanted to go to a party that her friend was throwing, and they had refused to let her go.

During this time, it was not uncommon for vehicles to be driven by androids, people still drove of course, but it was a nice luxury to be driven around. Nobody could have foreseen what happened. Stig, as Elsa had so affectionately named their personal driver, malfunctioned. Sadly, this little mishap didn't occur anywhere safe. They had been on a busy motorway when the android began to glitch. First it started with the unnecessary swerving between lanes. Then he shut down whilst at a speed of seventy miles an hour, the speed limit. The limo should have begun to slow down, but it didn't. Rapidly the speed increased, until it reached around ninety-six miles per hour, or so the police report says. Soon the car lost all control and barrel rolled into an oil truck.

Elsa couldn't quite recall how long she had been seat belted to her chair upside down. All she remembered was her father frantically dragging her out of a smashed window as the limo burned. He laid her down on the ground as far away from the scene as possible. The broken girl knew that he had said something to her before he ran back to the limo, but she didn't know what. His voice was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Her body was limp, although she managed to turn her head, letting her eyes follow her father. He was going back for her mother. Oil met fire. He had just knelt down in the shattered glass when the explosion happened. In milliseconds a heat wave of shrapnel was flying through the air, spraying everyone within the vicinity. Moments later, sirens could be heard. Elsa blacked out, so do her memories.

It may have been unreasonable to have an intense dislike of all androids because of an accident that was caused by a malfunctioning, but that didn't stop Elsa from doing so. Logic told her that if it had been a human driving, then that horrific accident would not have occurred. A human would not have had a break down, or even shut down the way the android had. It was simply implausible. Admittedly humans were not without their flaws. There were so many factors that may cause a human to crash a vehicle: things such as tiredness, driving under the influence and so forth. However Elsa could comprehend these things, they were after all, human error. But androids? They were created to be perfect at what they do, created without flaws or defects. Obviously that was not true. The orphaned woman was aware that technology had come a long way since then, but there was still the odd case of androids playing up.

So why was Elsa working for Hanscorp? To put it plainly – for the money. She had come out of university to find that there were virtually no jobs available, apart from one: behaviour and emotion trainer for the latest model of androids. The desperate young woman gritted her teeth and applied for it. The need for money to survive outweighed the inner dilemmas she was having. The corporation had been so impressed with her achievements and speedy completion of her education at such a young age they hired her almost immediately.

Soon a year had passed. Dr Elsa Arendelle walked down the white corridors of Hanscorp's main research building. She had an important meeting with Hans Orvik, about what she did not know. What she did know however, was that he was not a man who made a habit of associating with lower level employees. In all the time that Elsa had worked for the corporation, she had only met the man once. In the young doctor's opinion, he seemed like a jackass with a God complex.

Elsa finally reached the waiting room where she was told that someone would be there to meet her. It was empty. Rigidly she sat down. Truth be told, she was quite nervous. Her hands fussed with her platinum blonde hair to make sure that her bun was neat and all hair was in place. As per usual, it was. Too caught up in worrisome thoughts, the blonde woman didn't notice that someone had approached her. A small cough caught Elsa's attention.

The blonde looked up; her sapphire blue eyes met unusual pale blue ones. They belonged to a young woman who appeared to be about eighteen, with gorgeous red hair worn in two braids. She was looking at Elsa expectantly.

"Dr Arendelle? Hi I'm Anna. My father sent for to get you." Her hand was outstretched, a warm smile on her delicate features.

Elsa quickly stood up, smoothing out her white lab coat as she did so. She shook Anna's hand. "It's nice to meet you, although I wasn't aware that Mr Orvik had a daughter." She also wasn't aware that he would have one as old as Anna either.

"I get that reaction a lot." The red haired girl winked. "Now if you'd like to follow me, it's best not to keep my father waiting."

With a polite smile, Elsa agreed.

* * *

Elsa was sat at the large glass desk of one Hans Orvik. His whole office was very modern, with numerous pieces of abstract art adorning his white walls. To be honest, the young doctor had no idea what any of them meant. Mr Orvik rested his elbows on his desk, his chin perched in his closed hands. He had fiery red hair was much like Anna's. They looked rather similar; Elsa assumed that she probably took after her father's looks more than her mother's, apart from the freckles that decorated her face.

"So Dr Arendelle, how do you like working for Hanscorp?" The man had an unnerving smile on his face.

"I like it very much Sir." Short and sweet. Elsa didn't think he needed to know the true depth of her feelings.

"Really?" His smile was wider now. "See, I did a little research before calling you in here." Mr Orvik paused for dramatic effect. "I found out some very interesting information regarding your parents. Tragic really." His feigned sympathy was not lost on Elsa. "Are you aware that your co-workers refer to you as the Ice Queen?"

"Yes Sir I am. And with all due respect, I do not care what they think of me. I am here to work, not make friends. Is there a problem with the standard of my work?" Her tone was sharp; a perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised, daring him to challenge her.

Hans liked this one. She was brave, just what he was looking for. "How admirable. And no, I have no qualms with your work ability. In fact, I am impressed with how much you have been able to humanise the HM-0819 series. Their simulations of emotions are almost perfect." Hans smiled wistfully.

"Almost Sir?" Elsa was confused. How much closer to real emotions could they get?

"Well it's not real is it?" The red haired man asked, leaning back in his leather chair.

"Of course not. Everyone knows that androids cannot possibly experience real emotion. Rule three dictates it."

Hans laughed heartily. "Rules are meant to be broken are they not?" He leant forward again, excited about what he was about to discuss with the young woman before him. "I have a proposition for you."

Elsa had the feeling that she would not like where this was going. "Go on."

"I have a top secret project that I have been working on these past couple of months. A lot of money and my time has been put into it. If you take this promotion and work on this project in private with a special team of my most trusted employees, then I will triple your pay as well as throw in some additional benefits." His grin was huge now, barely containing is eagerness.

"Triple?! Are you serious" Elsa's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Of course."

She tried to hide her disbelief, replacing it with a mask of indifference. "What sort of benefits?"

He recognised her poker face immediately. "Free private healthcare and dental. A courtesy car of _your_ choosing, with no price limit. A large house with a built in security system closer to work. Oh, and you'll be able to take a lot of your work home for this project." He'd won her over. He knew it.

"What exactly do I have to do on this little project?" Her eyes narrowed, these were some pretty hefty bonuses.

"And there's the catch, my dear. Due to the secrecy of this project, I am unable to tell you the full details until you agree and sign the confidentiality contract."

Elsa hesitated for a few seconds. "Fine. It's a deal."

Mr Orvik pushed the already available forms across the glass to her. It took her fifteen minutes to skim read all the fine print. There were some interesting clauses to say the least. Thankfully her boss had allowed her to have a copy of them once everything was processed.

"So Elsa, if I may call you such? Now that we are colleagues on this project, you may refer to me as Hans." He smiled, genuinely this time. He pushed a button on the intercom and spoke into it, "You may come in now, dear."

Elsa heard the large oak doors open behind her, followed by light footsteps. Abruptly Hans stood up, as did Elsa, ready to greet whoever he had just called for.

"Elsa, I believe you have met my daughter Anna?" He gestured proudly with his hand, "She is the world's first android with the ability to truly feel."

The young blonde stared at Anna, confusion written all over her face. Sapphire once again met pale blue.

Time seemed to stand still.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, The Last of Us DLC was awesome! Anyway back to the story. Thanks guys for giving it a read/follow/review. It means a lot to me. And a big thank you to Hunhund for becoming my beta and helping me out on this chapter :). Enjoy! X

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

* * *

Before the young doctor stood Anna, the unique android that could supposedly experience emotions the same as a human. Be it joy, love, hope or even hate, she could feel them all. If this was all true, then Anna's very existence was breaking the law.

"This is illegal." Elsa stated.

Hans smiled coyly, "Is it?"

She whirled round to face him, finger pointing at him in an accusatory manner, "You know damn well it is!"

Completely forgotten in the heat of the argument going on between her father and Dr. Arendelle, Anna simply stood back and watched as it unfolded. She was hurt by the other woman's reaction to her existence, but her father had told her that not everyone would be accepting of her. Hopefully with time they would come to understand.

"And why do you think there is such a law?" Hans waited for an answer, but when there wasn't one, he answered the question himself, "It's because the government wants them to be slaves to mankind; they know that if androids could think and feel like us, then they would no longer be willing to serve."

Elsa was quick to notice the hypocrisy in his statement, "But you created them. You created them to serve us."

"True. But the androids that exist now, I made them based on ideals that I had many years ago. People's visions and dreams change all the time. And mine are entitled to as well." The young doctor was about to argue back, but Hans was quick to cut her off. "Oh and you signed the contract. Therefore evidence would dictate that you were in on this secret project the whole time. That means that you are also breaking the law, Dr. Arendelle."

Now Elsa could see why her colleagues referred to the CEO of Hanscorp as a sly bastard. Although she could think of some much stronger words that were more suitable.

* * *

One week later, Elsa was walking through the front door of her brand new apartment for the first time. Originally her new home was going to be a house, but she felt that it would be too big and lonely for just one person, so she had asked for an apartment instead. What she didn't know however, was that Hans had never intended for her to be living on her own. He had just nodded with a secretive smile and granted her request.

The young woman had only learned of the unwanted roommate an hour ago. Anna shuffled up beside her, and dropped a single duffle bag on the floor.

"Look at the size of this place! It's amazing!" The excitement was evident in the young redhead's voice.

Elsa ignored her, and shouldered past in search of the largest bedroom. She'd be damned if an android was going to claim it before her. It didn't take long to find it as there were only three bedrooms. They were all fairly large, not too dissimilar in size, but one had a walk in closet, so naturally Elsa chose that one. She had just walked into it when she heard a gasp behind her.

"Wow is this room just for clothes?!" Anna's eyes were impossibly wide.

"Yes it is." Elsa said curtly. "This is my room. So you can go choose yours."

"I already picked one."

Elsa looked at the android. She was just staring at her, obviously oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. Rolling her eyes she walked past her back into the main room, the lounge. Numerous boxes were scattered around containing her belongings, waiting to be unpacked. No time like the present to get started.

Unsure of what to do with herself, Anna decided that she may as well unpack her own things as well. However this did not take long as she only had a few sets of clothes and a few necessities such as toiletries. Hans was like any typical man, he had no idea how many sets of clothes a girl needed, then again neither did Anna. With that job done, she once again found herself without anything to do. Maybe Elsa needed help unpacking? She did seem to have a lot of stuff.

Moving into a new home was exhausting, and Elsa had quickly found that out the hard way. There were still at least four or five boxes left. She sighed, today had not been a fun day; at least she had unpacked the bedroom boxes. Loudly, her stomach rumbled. Elsa's heart sank, she hadn't even thought about buying food for the apartment. It was dark out. She checked the time; most of the shops were probably closed by now. She would just have to order takeaway.

The young doctor walked out of her room, surprised at what she saw next. The remaining boxes were empty, and her belongings had neatly been placed around the lounge. Her vast amount of books had been neatly put on the bookshelf, leaving little room for more. From what she could see, they were alphabetically arranged by author. The clanging of pots and pans caught Elsa's attention.

Anna was just putting the last of the kitchenware away, when the other woman walked in with her usual blank expression. It was ironic really, Anna was an android, yet she expressed far more freely than this Ice Queen before her. Yes, she had heard the nickname pass between the doctor's colleagues. Now that she had met Elsa, she realised that it fit perfectly. It dawned on her that perhaps she shouldn't have rifled through Elsa's things, but she was only trying to help. It didn't seem like they had gotten off to a good start, with Elsa not talking to her, so she decided to try and earn her approval.

"You put my things away." It was a statement, not a question.

"I did, yes." If Elsa was going to be blunt, then so was she.

"I didn't ask you to." The older girl's arms were crossed tightly against her chest.

Anna was beginning to get annoyed with Elsa's indifference; she decided to try and get a rise out of her. "I'm not like the other androids that were created to follow commands, Dr. Arendelle. I have my own mind; I shall do as I please. I'm not going to call you master." A cheeky smile appeared as she said the next part, "Unless it is in a different context, perhaps."

The wink was not lost on Elsa, a blush painted her pale cheeks. Did Anna just flirt with her? Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, no words came to her. Damn, Hans. She knew she should have read the contract more carefully. That whole comment about taking her work home should have made her realise that something was amiss. Her stomach growled for the second time that night, breaking her from her thoughts.

"You're hungry. Do you want me to cook you some dinner? Father had the cupboards and fridge stocked with the basics in case we didn't have a chance to go shopping." Anna tried to think back to what was in the cupboards. "I could make you spaghetti bolognaise?"

Elsa's stomach rumbled at this, although she was still apprehensive. But hunger won her over. "Very well. Just don't make a mess." At least the android would be of some use.

Anna was elated that her roommate had accepted something from her. Then reality kicked in. "Uh Elsa? Do you have a tablet with you?" The other girl nodded slowly. "I don't actually know how to cook, but I can just search it on the internet. It'll be fine."

Famous last words. Dinner was a disaster to say the least. Elsa didn't know that anyone in the world could mess up such a simple meal, but apparently Anna was an android of many talents. In the end, they just went with the safe option of ordering Indian takeaway. The older girl had to order for the both of them, as Anna had no idea what she would like. The fact that she couldn't even pronounce half of the things on the menu didn't help. She was surprised that the android was even eating at all, but Anna had mentioned casually that she was built to be as realistic as possible. It meant that she experienced hunger the same as any human would. Apparently there was something inside her that could convert the food into power for the mechanics that animated her. Anna wasn't exactly sure of all the details, and argued that most humans didn't care about the precise goings-on inside their own bodies either. She was right, Elsa concluded.

The two young women had finished eating, and were now loading up the dishes into a state of the art dishwasher. Elsa didn't know what was so great about it, but Hans had informed her that everything in the apartment was top of the line.

"Evidently you can't cook, so what's your purpose?" The young doctor asked conversationally.

"I'm sorry?" Anna stopped what she was doing, her full attention now on Elsa.

"What I mean to say is that all androids are programmed to excel at something, to carry out a certain task. It's their purpose. So I was wondering what Han's has made yours to be."

How rude.

"Well what's yours?" Anna struggled to hide the fact that she had taken offense. Her tone was sharp.

"Excuse me?"

"If you do not know what yours is, then I see no reason why I should have to have one. I'm not the same as the other androids, as I keep trying to tell you. But you can't seem to get that into your thick skull!"

"Right now, are you _really _angry? Or is that simulated, too? Perhaps I should run some tests on you..." It was a sly comment, but the redhead's outburst had shocked her.

"Don't judge me before you have all the facts!"

Anna stormed out of the kitchen and headed for her room, slamming the door behind her. Elsa knew that what she had said was a low blow, but things had heated up rather quickly. She had never acted like this with anyone; Anna seemed to bring out a certain intensity within her; negativity. She didn't like it. Looking around she noticed how empty it seemed without the bubbly android's presence. She let out the breath she'd been holding, and guilt washed over her. Elsa knew that Anna had probably settled down for bed now, if she even slept, but that didn't stop her from gently knocking on her bedroom door.

"Anna?" There was no reply. "Anna I'm sorry for what I said. I know it was rude of me. I don't know why I acted the way I did." Silence. She sighed. "Sorry again, and goodnight Anna. Sleep well."

From within her room, tucked up tightly in bed, Anna smiled, her anger at the doctor soon dissipated.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but uni has really taken up a lot of my time recently. I'm glad that you're all interested in it so far :). Thank you for the reviews/favourites/follows. And a huge thanks to Hunhund for beta-ing and helping to improve this chapter. Enjoy! X

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

* * *

They had been living together for a couple of weeks now and neither of them had made as much progress with the other as they would have liked. Elsa wanted to conduct more research into Anna's emotional and physical capabilities, but the younger girl made it difficult for her to find an opportune time to do so. On the other hand, Anna simply wanted to be the doctor's friend. If she succeeded, Dr. Arendelle would be the first friend she'd ever had. It would be wonderful. Unfortunately, she was very much the Ice Queen everyone described her as: cold, joyless, and stubborn.

The time that had passed hadn't been completely uneventful. There was the day when Anna had tried to do the washing for the both of them. After just one week, the clothes hamper was practically overflowing. The poor android girl never stood a chance really. She only had a vague idea of how the washing machine worked. She had seen it on TV once or twice, and thought that to be enough to get her by. How wrong she was.

Elsa had come home to a washing machine that had been absolutely jam packed with clothes – clothes which had not even been sorted into smaller piles of different colours, and washing detergent hadn't even been used. She prayed that Anna had not put her brand new pair of jeans in with everything else and most importantly, with her favourite cardigan. Unfortunately, it seemed the Gods were not on her side. It had finished its cycle, and she hastily pulled the door open to check the state of the clothes. The first thing she noticed was that everything was blue. Elsa had massaged her temples with her fingers, trying desperately to suppress the stress that was building. It wasn't that she didn't like the colour blue, in fact, it was her favourite colour, it was just that she would prefer it if not _everything_ was blue. She soon noticed that the other girl was nowhere to be seen, and suspected that Anna had realised what had happened, and chosen to keep out of the blonde's way for a little while; something which she was eternally grateful for.

So that had been another failed attempt at gaining Doctor Arendelle's approval, following the cooking mishap. But the android had not given up hope. Anna spent many a morning preparing a cooked breakfast for her roommate; she had been unsuccessful every time. But one day, she had finally cooked scrambled eggs and bacon to perfection. Since this one was a success, she would actually allow herself to take it to the doctor in bed. She placed it on a tray along with cool glass of orange juice. With extra care, she carried it to the blonde's bedroom and set it down on the bedside table. Sadly the older girl was asleep, but that did not deter Anna. Although she was in a bit of a dilemma; on the one hand, she did not want to wake the doctor up, but on the other, she wanted to see her face when she saw what Anna had done. So she waited – for an hour.

When Elsa finally woke up, let's just say she was not expecting a pair of silvery blue eyes to be so close to her face. She had screamed. Anna fell out of her chair in surprise, but she had scrambled to get up to give the older girl her breakfast. Elsa had pushed her away, calling her a creep and various other not so nice things before promptly kicking Anna out of the room. The breakfast had been left untouched, much to Anna's sadness; the doctor had claimed it to be too cold and inedible. But at least the android girl had learnt something new about Dr. Arendelle; she was not a morning person.

Despite her recent failures, Anna was confident that today was the day she would break down the doctor's walls of ice. She had woken up a little under an hour ago, eager to see her roommate. Disappointment had washed over her once she heard the sound of running water; Elsa was taking a shower, but she had waited patiently for it to stop. As soon as she heard the familiar click of the door opening, Anna leapt off of her bed and practically sprinted towards the bathroom. The blonde girl was only just stepping out as she reached it.

"Morning, Dr. Arendelle!" Anna greeted enthusiastically.

Elsa was taken aback. "Uh, morning, Anna."

The redhead rocked from heel to toe from excitement before it suddenly dawned on her, she hadn't really thought about what she would actually talk to the doctor about. "So, how's it going?" She mentally cringed. _Smooth_.

"Fine, Anna. Now if you'd please move. You're blocking the way to my bedroom." She was curt in her reply.

"Oh yeah, of course!" But she didn't budge. "It's just that I was hoping to talk to you, maybe finally start getting to know you a little better since, you know, we're living together, and all…" Anna began to fidget with her hands, repetitively linking and twisting her fingers together, before abruptly unlinking them, only to start the cycle all over again. Elsa continued staring at her, perturbed. Anna continued.

"You're a bit distant but I can tell that deep down inside you're an amazing person. Not that you aren't already amazing." Anna ceased, she looked the doctor up and down. Her eyes greedily took in all of the skin that the doctor was currently showing thanks to the small towel she had clutched around herself. It was beautiful and unblemished, Anna gulped. She watched as a drop of water slowly made its way down her smooth leg. She so desperately wanted to reach out and catch it on the tip of her finger. It took all of her will power not to. She wasn't all that familiar with social boundaries; however, she was almost certain that the doctor would not appreciate such an action.

Eventually Anna managed to break her gaze from the doctor's legs, her eyes landed on the older girls face. Her usually pale cheeks were now adorned with a bright red blush, and her eyes were looking anywhere but Anna's direction.

She smirked. "Hey are you ok, Dr. Arendelle? You're face is looking a little red." Anna loved how awkward she was making the blonde girl feel, times like these were the only times she could get any sort of emotion out of her.

Elsa pulled the towel tighter round herself and huffed, "I'm fine." She darted round Anna, headed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Anna laughed. The look on Dr. Arendelle's face was priceless.

Elsa sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed. She could not believe how much of a fool she must have looked, or how the android girl had gotten her so flustered. That was as clear a sign as any that Elsa needed some attention in her life. She blamed the lack of intimacy the cause for what she had felt a few minutes ago; even an android was getting her excited. But the way Anna had been staring at her, Elsa could now see why she kept reading headlines of people who claimed to be in love with their androids. If they all could look the way Anna had looked just now, then it was unavoidable. She shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts.

* * *

The spare bedroom in the apartment had been converted into a large office/research space, Elsa was performing a new test today; she wheeled about the room on her desk chair whilst Anna lay stretched out on a black leather chaise longue. The doctor shuffled her chair to a stop in front of the other girl, notepad in hand.

"So what are we testing today, doc?" Anna asked as she resituated her arms behind her head to rest on them.

"I just have a few simple questions for you, Anna. They are designed to test your levels of emotional intelligence." Elsa was in professional mode now, her glasses and notepad only adding to the effect. Her platinum blonde hair was twisted up into a bun, just like usual.

"You can be emotionally intelligent?" Anna's eyebrow's knitted together in confusion. "I didn't even know that was a thing."

"Yes it is." She snapped. "The questions are designed to measure your ability to comprehend, perceive and reason with emotions." She watched as the girl nodded slowly. It was a lot more complicated than that, but she didn't want to get into all the specifics. "But not only will I be assessing what you say, but also the way in which you respond to each answer." Elsa picked up a long wire, it was hooked up to a machine intended to record Anna's decision processes. "May I?"

"Of course." The android girl sat up to face the older girl, and bowed her head, sweeping her hair away from her neck, exposing it to the doctor.

Carefully Elsa pressed down on the skin; a panel shifted and revealed itself. She removed the cover and plugged the wire into the small socket that had been concealed beneath. Gently her fingertips brushed Anna's skin as she moved away, she hardly noticed. But Anna's skin tingled in response. It was an odd feeling, one that the younger girl had never experienced before.

"Ok so the first question is an easy one. How are you feeling today, Anna?"

"Great thanks."

Elsa sighed. She could tell that she was going to have to probe for answers throughout this session to get a sufficient amount of information. "Any particular reason why?"

A cheeky smile formed on the redheads lips. "Well doctor, seeing you flustered in just a towel this morning was a pretty good start to the day."

"Be serious please, Anna." Elsa scolded. She was well aware of the blush painting her cheeks, although she tried her best to remain professional and ignore it. "Moving on. To what extent do you feel as though you identify with the following statement: When I am around people, I am generally aware of how they are feeling?"

"I am aware that right now you are embarrassed because I almost saw you naked. Your blushing only confirms my statement. However, I do not understand why it makes you uncomfortable." Unconsciously Anna licked her lips, and Elsa's eyes locked onto the movement. "Does that answer your question?" It didn't, and the remainder of this session carried on in a similar manner.

Elsa tapped her pen in frustration on the notepad on her lap. She glanced down and read the next statement out loud. "I adjust my behaviour depending on who I am interacting with."

Anna actually paused to think about this one. It was true that she acted differently around Dr. Arendelle in comparison to how she did with those at Hanscorp; she was cheeky. The blonde noticed that the redhead had grown quiet, and was hopeful that she was going to answer seriously. "I agree with that statement." Elsa made a move to write something down for the first time that session. "When I am around _you_, you make me want to be a better person." Anna laughed to herself. She had heard that phrase in a movie she had watched the other day. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant on an emotional level, but she knew that it would irritate the blonde seated before her.

The pen was clenched tightly in Elsa's hand as she attempted to hide her annoyance. She thought it best not to give into Anna's obvious goading. She read out another phrase. "I am stubborn."

"Yes you are." Anna said quickly. She slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, sorry. I forgot this was relative to me and not you." An innocent look was plastered on her face. Elsa did not believe it for a second. The android girl really was pushing her luck.

"When making important decisions, logic should come into play more than emotions."

"What am I? A machine?" Anna asked. Elsa bit her tongue, holding back a harsh reply. Was this girl even aware of what she had just said?

"I feel like I am just going through the motions in my life... like I'm running on auto-pilot." Elsa continued through clenched teeth.

Anna's eyes narrowed at the older girl. "Ok now I know you are just doing this on purpose. All these questions are related to me being an android! You're trying to make me slip up!" A finger was pointed at the doctor in an accusatory manner.

Elsa matched the redhead's offensive stance. "Now that is preposterous and you know it. All these statements have been used in questionnaires that humans have taken, so your point is invalid." She wasn't done yet; Anna had gotten her riled up. "And in regards to making you slip up? First of all, you haven't even been answering seriously so this whole session has been a waste of time! Secondly, if you genuinely _do_ have emotions, then you have nothing to worry about!"

Only the sound of the washing machine in the kitchen could be heard as the two stared each other down. After several minutes, Elsa relaxed back into her chair, ready to continue the test. There weren't many questions after the sudden outburst from the two of them, and by the end, Elsa had barely taken down any notes. She had also failed to gather any of the information she was originally looking for, but she hoped the data the machine had collected would shine some light on Elsa's further understanding of Anna.

* * *

It was now early afternoon, and the two girls were sat in the living room of the apartment. Anna was lounging on the sofa watching TV; she had quickly discovered a programme about humans with superpowers. It was fascinating to the young android, and she watched it with rapt attention. The adverts came onAnna glanced at her roommate. Elsa was sat at the other end of the sofa, a pen in hand and a newspaper resting on her curled up legs. She was biting her lip in an act of deep concentration.

"What're you doing there?" Anna attempted at conversation. If she wanted to be the girl's friend, then she would need to show interest in the things she does.

There was a few seconds silence as the blonde quickly wrote something down before acknowledging the android. "A Sudoku."

"What's a Sudoku?"

Elsa sighed impatiently. "It's just a puzzle where you have to put numbers in certain boxes."

"Oh ok." Anna watched as the doctor began to start scribbling down more numbers. "Why do you do them?"

She sighed somewhat more dramatically this time, emphasising her annoyance at the android. "I like them. They relax me. But for some odd reason, I am not finding this one particularly calming." She shot Anna a pointed look.

"Can I have a go?" The younger girl asked innocently.

"No."

"Why not?"

Elsa slammed the newspaper down onto the arm of the sofa, the pen immediately followed. "Would you stop asking me so many questions?! I just wanted to do my weekly puzzle in peace, but no, you just couldn't allow me that luxury."

Anna visibly recoiled at the doctor's sharp tone. It was quiet, bar the sound of a cheesy advert involving a cat and bird singing to each other playing on the TV. It was a deep contrast to the atmosphere of the room. "I just wanted a go." She said meekly.

"Well you can't. You're an android. You wouldn't even find this challenging. You're all supposed to be super smart or something like that." The last part was said more to herself than to Anna.

Elsa began to say something else but Anna cut her off. "Hey be quiet, my programme is back on."

The blonde girl just sat there facing Anna, an incredulous look on her face.

* * *

As soon as Anna's show had finished, she had informed Elsa that she was going to go to town to scope out the area, see what was around. The young doctor had put up an argument at first, saying that it was too dangerous. Not because she cared about Anna's well-being, but because the android was worth billions of dollars, and she was worried that Hans would put her in debt for the rest of her life if Anna got damaged. The redhead just huffed at Dr. Arendelle's pointless concerns and assured her that no one would recognise her as an android, and that she would be extra careful. Eventually the blonde had given in and let her go.

The local shopping precinct was where the android girl went first. She wandered around a variety of clothing stores, but didn't buy a single thing. For starters, she had no idea what to buy as she had lived quite a sheltered life so far. She hoped that eventually she could convince the doctor to come with her, give her advice on what would look good on her. Secondly, she only had a small amount of money, and clothes were far more expensive than she ever could have imagined. She made a mental note to phone her father when she got home to request a sufficient amount. She was certain that he'd comply. After all, he was her father, and from what she'd learnt from TV shows, they always gave their daughters everything.

After visiting the shopping precinct, Anna discovered a high street full of vintage looking shops. She didn't go in all of them, but one that particularly took her fancy was an old antique shop. Anna couldn't believe the sort of items that people used to own. There were beautiful hand crafted rocking horses, a gramophone that according to the shop owner, still worked, and a couple of grandfather clocks. The wide-eyed android was in awe of almost everything in there, it was simply fascinating.

A little further down the street Anna noticed a window advertisement for piano lessons. She had seen a piano in the antiques shop, and immediately got excited at the prospect of learning how to play. She ran in to sign up for lessons. The sweet old man that had booked her in for a lesson was also the man that would teach her, and he seemed equally as excited to have a student as enthusiastic as Anna.

The young redhead could not wait to become talented at playing the piano, after all, music was a form of creativity, and creativity was something strictly human. She would prove that she was different to the other androids. It would just take time. Her thoughts of the doctor gave her a fantastic idea: everyone loved presents, and with the remaining amount of money in her purse, she could bring something home for Dr. Arendelle. But what?

Anna thought back to all of the conversations she'd had with her roommate. It was an easy task, as sadly they had not had that many. Finally an idea came to her. Sudoku puzzles – Dr. Arendelle said she like Sudoku puzzles. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

Unfortunately, the young girl had no idea where to get them from. Would she have to buy lots of different newspapers and just pull out the pages with the puzzles on? Or was there an easier way to do it? Anna resorted to trying to ask random people on the street. Most of them ignored her, thinking her to be mentally unsound. After a little while of trying to get information out of rude people, she bumped into a very friendly android who pointed her in the direction of a newsagent who sold books containing Sudoku puzzles. At first she had been worried that the android would recognise her as being one of his own kind, but he didn't seem to notice.

* * *

Anna returned home a little after 5pm. The blonde haired girl had instantly jumped up to see if everything was ok, and that no harm had come to Anna. The redhead knew that the doctor was only concerned about her job, but she was still flattered by it none the less. The both of them headed towards the kitchen, and the android girl decided that it was the perfect opportunity to give the other girl her present.

"Hey um, Dr. Arendelle, I got you something from town." Anna was nervous; she really hoped that the doctor would like it.

Elsa's face showed a cross between confusion and wonder. "What is it?"

Shyly Anna reached into her bag and produced the book, thrusting it towards her. "Here."

Carefully Elsa took it from her, turning it around to read the cover. "A Sudoku book?"

"Yeah" Anna nodded, scratching the back of her head; it was a learned behaviour that showed how uncomfortable she felt.

The redhead soon turned on the spot and headed for the living room, leaving the blonde to stand there, dumbfounded. Elsa watched her leave, book still in hand.

"I definitely need to look over those test results later. This girl – android," Elsa corrected herself, "is too weird."


End file.
